South Hill House, Merrion Park, Booterstown, Blackrock, Co Dublin Asking price: €2.5 million Agent: Knight Frank (01) 237 4532
He said that the business of producing and managing “heirs and spares” was not only a matter of great interest to the royal family, but also an important issue for the nobility.
For nearly 1000 years, among the most successful administrators of their succession are the Pembroke dynasties, who have had a great influence on Ireland, especially Dublin. English usurper Stephen gave his first title to Gilbert de Clare, born in 1100.
And in the centuries since then, House Pembroke has held on as reckless scions have managed to wean many once-powerful clans from their titles. The current Earl William is the 18th generation of that lineage. But that’s not to say there weren’t a few speed bumps along the way, such as Robert the 12th Earl of Herbert, who seems hostile to the life planned for him from the start. and became fully “Prince Harry” at some point in the mid-19th century.
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entrance hall and stairs
His father, the 11th Earl, and his mother, Spencer, were first cousins. He was born in his 1791 and was sent to Harrow. But when he was 23 he fled and ended up in Sicily, where Ottavia, wife of Prince Boutella, became romantically involved with Spinella. He became a kind of civil servant, bodyguard and squire to the princess, who was also her lover. A position granted by the prince.
This was the male equivalent of the official mistress of European aristocrats.When the prince died in 1814, Herbert, against the wishes of his family, married a widowed Italian princess. She was 12 years older than him.
Back in London, the news depressed the Earl. He used his global connections to persuade the Sicilian authorities to detain the couple and separate them. Herbert was locked in the fortress while Ottavia went to the nunnery. However, Robert fled to London to plead.
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Reception room connected to the kitchen
The old Earl tried to dissolve the marriage without success, but ultimately forced the heirs into a compromise of sorts.
Robert agreed never to see the princess again, but never married.
Ottavia was understandably pissed off. Released from her nunnery she made her way to London, where under the name of Mrs Herbert she established herself, and in 1819 she filed a very public lawsuit seeking the return of her marital rights. I was. That’s £5,000 a year. The princess also never married again.
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front door fan light
Robert towed the line for several years. He inherited his title of Pembroke in 1827 and soon entered the House of Lords. But he said, “Mow this.” Also.
Leaving the management of his estates in England and Ireland to his industrious half-brother Sidney, he fled to Paris, where he partied and collected art. He had seven children who juggled two overlapping affairs: a ballerina in Paris and a socialite in London.
He died at the age of 70 and was buried in Père Lachaise in 1862. He never produced a legitimate heir.
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Front door and porch with stained glass
Although he probably never set foot there, Blackrock’s South Hill was built by the Pembrokes in the 1840s during Robert’s Earldom. So he was its original owner. Luxurious and romantic nine bedroom villa in Merrion Park, Blackrock, County Dublin. While Robert was chasing the princess and ballerina, his sensible brother Sidney was making wise investments on his behalf.
Around this time, Pembroke land outside the city of Dublin was being developed for luxury homes leased on Pembroke land around Ballsbridge and Donnybrook.
What sets South Hill apart from its contemporaries (apart from being pink) is its unusually elaborate use of plaster, ceiling roses and cornices, but an aesthetic not typical of houses of the time. The proliferation of beautiful stained glass works suggests that the wise Sydney may have had a romantic streak.
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Cream-colored kitchen units contrast with polished granite countertops
The Pembroke family gave it up until 1942, selling it to businessman Leo Hannon. Leohannon sold it to a Dominican nun in 1963 and operated a retreat here until 1987. The last to use the retreat function was Garrett, who lastly resigned from Taoiseach that year after he feuded with Fitzgerald CJ Haughey for ten years.
The nuns sold it to Barrymore Holmes. Ultimately he was purchased for IR £250,000 in October 1992 by current owners Joe and Katherine (Lily) Layden. Joe runs the Leiden Group. George’s Street He owns an arcade.
Since then they have spent more than the purchase price to upgrade it.
“We thought it could be potentially beautiful, but it needed an upgrade. The biggest problem was the roof. It had to be completely replaced.” was. “We checked the house for rising humidity and nothing. , and left it as is.”
Joe says the big house was “very attractive” to his four children, Gwen, Siobhan, Anita and Jack, who were mostly teenagers at the time.
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Through the stained glass of the sunroom
“They loved the house, Merrion Park is across the street and lots of open space. With connecting rooms, the house was perfect for family events, parties and get-togethers.” They were particularly fascinated by the ubiquitous aforementioned stained glass work, and they added to it: a very unusual sanctuary with porch panels, interior fanlights, and scenes depicting nature on the back and top. It can be found in the Room and creates a magically lit space for those who hid here during the Dominican era.
“When we split the breakfast room into one of the reception areas and created a new entrance, we worked with a stained glass artist from Navan to create new pieces for the above fanlights based on other themes.”
And taking advantage of the more discerning Pembroke family’s financial acumen, the Leydens have turned the garden level into two highly rentable apartments of 2,000 square feet each, which are currently vacant.
Now that the kids have flown Leyden’s Nest, Joe and Catherine have been traded in and the house is up for sale through Frank Knight for €2.5 million.
Enter through a stained glass and wood carved porch. To the left of the hall are two-sided drawing rooms with bow windows, marble chimneys and polished timber floors. Double doors lead to the kitchen and breakfast room with cream painted wood cabinets, polished granite worktops and integrated appliances.
The 6,000-square-foot two-sided dining room features bay windows, marble chimneys, and timber floors. This has a small entertaining space with its own fireplace. A more informal living/TV room is located at the back of the house, with an office area with a glass ceiling. A guest toilet completes the hall level accommodation.
There are 5 large bedrooms on the ground floor, 3 of which are en-suite and there is also a family bathroom. On the garden level there are two self-contained apartments with two bedrooms each. They are also accessible internally and externally. The garden is on a lawn with a sun patio.
Eventually, the title of Pembroke passed to Robert’s nephew George.
